Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “quit” come from?

Quit comes from Middle English quiten, from Old French quitter, from Medieval Latin quietus, from Proto-Italic kʷjētos, meaning peaceful or at rest.

quit (English): To pay; To repay for; To repay, pay back

Definitions

  1. To pay; To repay for; To repay, pay back

Ancestry of “quit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishquiten—
2Anglo-Normanquitterto liberate; to free
3Old Frenchquitterto liberate; to free
4Old Frenchquittefree; liberated
5Latinquiētus—
6Latinquiēscō—
7Latinquiēs—
8Proto-Italickʷiētis—
9Proto-Indo-Europeankʷyéh₁tis—
10Proto-Indo-Europeankʷyeh₁-to rest; rest, peace

Words derived from “quit”

  • quite
  • quits
  • quitrent
  • squit
  • quitline
  • quittal
  • bananaquit
  • grassquit
  • ragequitter
  • orangequit
  • quittable
  • ragequit
  • quitsies
  • ragequitter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷyeh₁- →